Cubase and Nuendo

[TOFT]

Sorry for causing some confusion.

Cubase Studio 4 is the light version of Cubase 4.

It is cheaper (around 359 euro inc vat), but has less features. The most important 3 being, once again: no OMF import, no external effects, no surround.

The difference here in europe is about 400 euro. But you can allways upgrade. Even to nuendo. So if you want to start small, and don't need OMF + surround + external effects, get studio 4 first.

[DeadPoet]

Another C4 lover here. I love the fact that we finally have draggable inserts, free routing and sidechaining. Love the delay compensation on ALL levels.

I have a PTMP setup as well and I really have to force myself to use it (or start learning how to use it). Mostly because of the lack of delay compensation and my dislike of the software-needs-hardware-thing, but I surely understand that the 3-in-1 tool and playlists are powerful editing tools.

Herwig

[crypticglobe]

For a long run there, there was very little difference between Cubase and Nuendo. With version 4, there are is at least one major departure in my book.

Nuendo 4 has a GREATLY enhanced automation package. It is sheer DELIGHT automating in Nuendo now. In my humble opinion, no DAW has better automation than this. It has a entire panel that allows you to do a lot of very, very powerful things quickly.

The rest of the departures are mainly for post and surround mixing (like more outputs - Cubase will 7.1 surround, Nuendo 12.1, etc).

Part of the reason big "names" use Nuendo is that when Nuendo was originally created it was a "fresh start" by Steinberg. They knew the Cubase code had come to the end of it's worth and that they could not build on it any further, so they started over with the idea of "what would we do today if we started over... knowing what we know now?".

Nuendo was born... as just that. A totally fresh start. This program was aimed at Professional Audio Recordists.... and it was very popular. It definitely was cheaper than Pro Tools, sounded better, and competed as well or better in most ways.

Well.. it wasn't long before the Cubase crowd began clamoring for some of the features in Nuendo. So... Steinberg wisely altered some of the features in Nuendo and repacked it slightly, and called it "Cubase SX". It came from the exact same codebase as Nuendo... and still does.

However.... for years, and years.... Cubase has been thought of as a midi sequencer... and kind of like Cakewalk or something. Many people don't consider it to be "moist pro" because of it's name. ;) But the truth is that it is every bit the program Nuendo is in almost every aspect.

But... you know how everyone in this business is. When 5 guys are standing in a room... and the word "Nuendo" comes up... 4 of the guys know what it is... and know it's a good professional program.. so they all nod their heads knowingly. The 5th guy knows nothing about it... but nods as well so as not to be left out... and continues to do so from then on.

And....the opposite is true. 5 guys in a room.... 4 are Pro Tools guys. 1 mentions Cubase and 3 start laughing... the 5th guy does too... and continues from then on. Thus the "buzz" around products are created. Sad to say that much of this "buzz" is from suits, musicians, and other people that never, ever work in the program themselves!

In other words... a lot of bogus branding crap happens that the actual products merits have nothing to do with. Because Nuendo was the first Multitrack Audio program from Steinberg to be aimed specifically at pro audio and post.... it's stuck with those pro's... and the name carries some clout because of the successful high profile users that use it. Cubase is it's equal in all the ways that matter... but it's just a name thing.....

Just my 2 cents worth... I have been around the Steinberg crowd for a lot of years now..... ;)

rock on...

[Digibear]

As a longtime Cubase user, I would add just the following:

1) C4 does do surround. I use that frequently (well, not as frequently as i would like).

2) C4 OMF import is broken. You have to import into SX3 and then open in C4.

3) Cubase is a great DAW. It def has the little kid rap, completely undeservedly so.

4) Not really a Cubase issue, but I still wonder how much business I lose using a native DAW v. PT HD. I'm not sure I should care (I'm not really a commercial facility) but it does cross my mind.

5) Automation in C4 is great, the Nuendo automation features are to drool over. Not clearly worth the price differential for me.

[rrraaalllfff]

I know both Nuendo and Cubase have ADC. But in the steinberg website only Nuendo makes a big claim about the ADC working even when inserting analog hardware... In other words, it takes into account the AD/DA conversion being done when compensating for latency in that channel. This is huge! Does Cubase do this? If it works it would mean that one can parallel compress a drum bus without needing to output both the "uncompressed bus" along with the "to be compressed bus". The uncompressed one just stays in digital while the other goes out DA, gets compressed, goes back in AD, and it should match up with the the uncompressed bus! Can it be? What about all of that "smaller than a sample" stuff in other threads.... Anyone do this successfully in Nuendo? And does Cubase do it?

cheers

[redroom]

Originally Posted by rrraaalllfff

I know both Nuendo and Cubase have ADC. But in the steinberg website only Nuendo makes a big claim about the ADC working even when inserting analog hardware... In other words, it takes into account the AD/DA conversion being done when compensating for latency in that channel. This is huge! Does Cubase do this? If it works it would mean that one can parallel compress a drum bus without needing to output both the "uncompressed bus" along with the "to be compressed bus". The uncompressed one just stays in digital while the other goes out DA, gets compressed, goes back in AD, and it should match up with the the uncompressed bus! Can it be? What about all of that "smaller than a sample" stuff in other threads.... Anyone do this successfully in Nuendo? And does Cubase do it?

cheers

Yes cubase has ping on external fx and instruments just like Nuendo

[kellyd]

Automation in Nuendo is the real deal and the most comprehensive automation available in a DAW. Euphonix console style automation.
Also, if you don't have PT it helps to have Nuendo instead of Cubase simply because of perception.